The Parting Glass
by Anasatsia98
Summary: And as the bullet pierced her side, she thought of all the things she didn't do. The ground felt cold and foreign, which was odd because it was a hot day in Georgia. She could hear his cries but she couldn't seem to move so she just smiled. Then gently rise and softly call "Good night and joy be to you all"
1. Days Gone Bye Pt:1

Getting caught in the zombie apocalypse was something Magnolia never dreamed of.

Seriously, why couldn't it be the mermaid apocalypse or the fairy apocalypse?

Honestly, Magnolia hated zombies. Even before this whole thing happened, she had refused to engage with anything that had to do with zombies.

Her mom told her to stop complaining. She said to get over it because this was their life now and they should be glad that they had found such a kind and open group. And she was right. If they hadn't found Lori Grimes and Shane Walsh, they would've probably gotten eaten.

"Sophia, look!" Magnolia exclaimed as she pointed to the cluster of flowers that laid beneath an oak tree, or at least she thought it was an oak tree, "It's Queen Anne's Lace! Isn't it pretty?"

Sophia crouched down and pulled at the small clump of flowers. Magnolia sighed, realizing that she should have known that Sophia was going to pull them. Sophia liked to pick all the flowers that Magnolia pointed out to her and give them to her mom, which wasn't a bad thing. It was just that Magnolia preferred to leave the flowers in their natural habitat so that they could grow and spread their seeds.

"They're so tiny," Sophia murmured as she gently looked at the flowers in her hand.

"Yeah. Did you know that Queen Anne's Lace is a form of uncultivated carrot?" Magnolia asked before she could stop herself. Her face burned with embarrassment and she quickly looked at the ground. At her old school, people didn't seem to appreciate flowers as much as she did so it was easy for them to find her a bit weird. Not that she minded.

Okay, maybe minded a little.

Sophia looked at her with wide eyes, "Really?"

Magnolia nodded and gently ran her finger over the flower, "It's also called wild carrot."

"Wow," Sophia breathed before she raced off to show her mom and probably tell her what she had just learned.

Magnolia continued her search for flowers, especially for her favorite. But she knew it was rare and would difficult to find. Kneeling in the grass, Magnolia wiped away some dirt and stared at the purple flowers in front of her.

 _Verbena_.

Pretty, but it was a common flower.

"Lia!" Magnolia's head shot up at the sound of her name. Craning her head, she caught a glimpse of Carl racing towards her.

"Yes?" She said as she got up and turned to face him. His face was flushed and little beads of sweat rolled down his face.

"My mom wants to know if you want your hair trimmed."

Magnolia glanced at her hair. It was getting long. The wavy auburn strands were starting to pass her shoulders but Magnolia knew that if she got it cut, her mom would be upset. Elenore loved Magnolia's hair because it reminded her of her own when she was younger. Elenore had dyed it black when she was in high school and it never seemed to go back to normal after that.

Magnolia shook my head but Carl remained in front of her.

"Can you at least sit with my so I can talk to someone?" He held his hand out and Magnolia glanced at it before placing her hand in his. She understood, she would want to talk to someone if her mom was cutting her hair or else it would be boring.

"Okay."

Magnolia sat herself down on a rock next to Carl and watched as Lori placed her large flannel around Carl's shoulders before she started to brush his hair.

"Baby, the more you fidget the longer it takes. So, don't. Okay?" Lori stated as Carl resisted the tugging on his hair.

"I'm trying." Carl grumbled and Lori fixed his head so it was looking straight as Shane.

Magnolia realized the problem immediately. How was she supposed to talk to Carl if she wasn't looking at him? Her mom had always told her that it was proper etiquette to look at someone while she spoke to them. Glancing at the empty rock near Shane (who happened to be cleaning his gun), Magnolia quickly made her way over and sat so that she could see Carl's eyes. They were blue. A bright, electric blue.

"Well, try harder."

"Think this is bad? Wait till you start shaving." Shane suddenly and Magnolia jumped in her seat. To be honest, she was more interested in the daisy that was next to her than Carl getting a haircut, not that she would tell him this. She didn't want to hurt his feelings. Shane continued to clean his gun and speak, "That stinks. You'll be wishing for your mama's haircuts."

"I'll believe that when I see it." Carl retorted and Magnolia cracked a smile while Shane gave a light chuckle.

"I'll tell you this," Shane said and he paused his cleaning, "Just get through this with some manly dignity and tomorrow, I'll teach you something special." Magnolia glanced at Carl who was staring at Shane expectantly, "I will teach you how to catch frogs."

"I've caught a frog before." Carl stated as he gave a shrug and Magnolia noticed that smile that had appeared on Lori's face. Magnolia liked it when Lori smiled. It made her seem more relaxed and less strict. It made her seem more 'mom' like.

"I said frogs, plural. It is an art my friend and it is not to be taken lightly."

Magnolia honestly didn't know why Carl wanted her to sit with him. He seemed to be having a swell time.

"There are ways and means few people know about," Shane glanced away from his gun and looked at Carl, "And I'm willing to share my secrets."

Carl glanced at Magnolia who gave him a shrug before turning back to the daisy that was next to her. Carl lightly frowned at the girl's reaction before looking at his mom.

"Oh, I'm a girl. You better talk to him." Lori said as she turned Carl's head, so he was facing Shane again.

"Magnolia!" Magnolia looked towards the RV she shared with her mom and saw her leaning out the door, "Come here. I need help folding these clothes."

Magnolia glanced at Carl, who seemed to be disappointed, though she didn't know why, before turning back to her mom.

"Coming, mom!" Brushing her jeans off, Magnolia gave Carl a smile, "I'll see you later."

Not bothering to wait for a goodbye, Magnolia quickly walked to her RV and went in. She frowned when she saw that there was no laundry for her to do and glanced at her mom in confusion, to which her mom smiled.

"You looked quite bored out there," Her mom stated as a smile graced her lips, "and I know how badly you want to go and find your ' _special´_ flower."

Magnolia beamed but her smile quickly vanished.

"But isn't that mean to lie to Carl like that?"

Elenore shook her head, "Nah, sweetie. He's pretty occupied right now. I bet you can sneak past him."

This is what Magnolia adored about her mom. She was fun and easy going. Elenore never yelled at Magnolia. Even when Magnolia broke her rules, she didn't yell at her. Elenore found that the best way a child learned is when they are spoken to in a calm, yet stern, voice. They should never be scared of their parent; a child should feel able to learn from their mistake without fear.

A loud blaring sound, no an alarm, caught Elenore and Magnolia's attention. Elenore raced down the steps of the RV and checked to make sure that everything was okay before allowing Magnolia to follow her. Magnolia grabbed her mom's hand as soon as she exited the RV and smiled at Carl.

"Is it them? Are they back?" Amy asked and Magnolia could hear the hope and relief in her voice.

Dale didn't respond as he stared out of his binoculars and before Magnolia knew it, she was speaking, "What is it?"

"Stolen car is my guess." Dale answered, still staring at the car that was racing towards them.

The sound continued to grow as the car got closer and closer and Magnolia snuggled into her Elenore's side. She knew that sound could attract walkers, so why was the car coming towards them? Did the person want to attract the walkers? After a few antagonizing moments, the car slowed to a stop and a smile took over Magnolia's face as Glenn got out of the car.

"Glenn!" She cried as she ran over to the man and gave him a big hug, the rest of the group slowly following behind her. She heard Glenn give a laugh before squeezing her in return and she looked up at him with a smile. Even though she hadn't been here long, she thought of Glenn as the brother she'd always wanted.

"Holy crap, turn that damn thing off!" Dale exclaimed and Glenn gave an ecstatic smile, spreading out his arms.

"I don't know how."

"Maggie," Magnolia's ears perked up at her mother's call and she gave Glenn one more smile before racing back to her mom. Elenore felt an argument brewing. The alarm was still going and the chance that a walker would find them was getting higher and higher.

As Elenore predicted, Glenn was bombarded with a million questions while being commanded to pop the hood. All the yelling caused Magnolia to snuggle in closer to her mom and watch as the alarm was turned off and Glenn assure them that everybody was okay… except for Merle. Elenore inwardly winced as Shane yelled at Glenn for leading a car with an alarm blaring towards their camp sight. She understood that what he was wrong but she honestly thought that he got the point. There was no use in yelling at him. He was a grown man. The rumbling of a large van caught everyone's attention and Magnolia held her breath as she waited for the rest of the group to walk out safe and unharmed… except Merle. Now that she thought about it, Daryl was probably not going to take this too well.

Magnolia couldn't help but feel a small pain in her heart as she watched the families reunite. Her dad left her and her mom when this whole thing started. He kept saying how they were gonna hold him back and he wasn't going to let them slow him down. He wanted to live. He didn't care about them. He didn't care if they _died_.

But when the groups made runs, Magnolia couldn't help but hope that they would find her dad and that he would apologize. He would tell them how much he regretted leaving them. He would give her mom a big kiss and give her the biggest hug ever. But Magnolia was disappointed every time. From the corner of her eye, she watched as Lori walked Carl over to give him a talk. The same talk she gave him every time they came back from the run without his dad.

Magnolia sometimes thought that that's why she got along with Carl so well.

They both lost a parent.

Except Carl's dad was hurt in an accident and was in a coma.

And that his dad loved him.

Shaking her head, Magnolia tried to erase the dark thoughts that plagued her mind. She had to focus on the positive. Her mom was here with her and she knew that her mom would never leave her. She _promised_ that she would never leave her _._ Magnolia felt her body tense up at the thought of her mom leaving and buried her face further into her mom's stomach, an action that Magnolia had since she was a baby.

 _At least I like my mom better than my dad_ , Magnolia thought, trying to stay positive.

Elenore could feel her child's sadness and it was like her body was absorbing it. Michael left her and her daughter as soon as this outbreak started. He thought that they were weak and wouldn't survive past day one. Elenore stifled a laugh. _Look at us now, Mike_ , Elenore thought, _were probably doing better than you are, you bastard._

Morales voice caught Elenore's attention. He was calling for someone, someone who wasn't in their group. A newbie. A _stranger._ By instinct, Elenore's arm wrapped tighter around Magnolia's waist.

"The guys a cop, like you."

Magnolia's head turned and she looked at the strange man who slowly approached them. Morales was right. This man was definitely a cop. He was decked out in a police uniform and the look on his face seemed to be one of shock. Magnolia tilted her head as the man swayed on his feet. He looked as though he was going to collapse. _He must need medical attention_ , Magnolia diagnosed and she looked around, so why wasn't anyone helping him.

"Oh, my God." Magnolia heard the man murmur before Carl's screams of dad replaced her ears.

Oh.

 _Oh._

This was Carl's father. The man he looked up to so much.

And the ugly head of jealousy peaked in and Magnolia glowered at the hugging family in front of her.

It wasn't fair.

Why did Carl's dad come back but not her dad?

It was almost like Elenore felt her daughter's glare and before she knew it Magnolia had been lifted away and taken into her RV. But as her mom carried her away, Magnolia's glare weakened and tears filled her light green eyes.

She just wanted her daddy back.

* * *

 **Tah-dahhh!**

 **Here's my new story! I hope you like it.**

 **Feedback is always appreciated :)**

 **See you soon**

 **Ana**


	2. Days Gone Bye Pt:2

Magnolia ignored the rough tugs at her hair as Elenore finished braiding it. Magnolia sometimes felt Carl looking at her but she refused to meet his gaze and focused instead on the daffodils that were in front of her. It was night fall when Elenore had finally decided that she could take Magnolia without the threat of her glaring at the family. She didn't want Magnolia to spoil the family's happy reunion with her narrowed eyes and pouting face, but she understood where Magnolia was coming from. As much as she hated to admit it, she was hoping to see Mike walk out of that van too.

"All done, Sweetie," Elenore whispered as she finished tying the hair tie and she took this moment to admire her work. Elenore knew that she wasn't the best braider that was out there, heck, she learned how to braid hair from Magnolia, but this time she congratulated herself. It actually looked good.

"Thanks, mom." Magnolia murmured before leaning back and resting against her mom. She knew that she was being foolish and acting like brat, but she didn't care, she wanted her dad.

"Disoriented… Disoriented, fear, confusion—all those things but…" As Rick paused Magnolia could hear an echo of thunder and shivered; she hated thunder, "Disoriented comes closest."

A moment of silence passed, almost like they were mourning Rick's experience.

"Words can be meager things." Dale suddenly stated, his voice a low whisper, "Sometimes they fall short."

"I felt like I'd been ripped out of my life and put somewhere else."

 _Yeah, well me too, Rick,_ Magnolia thought as she crossed her arms, _except at least you have your family in this new world._

"For a while I thought I was trapped in some coma dream, something I might not wake up from ever." Rick said as the light from the fire reflected in his eyes and Magnolia saw something she had never seen in a man… fear. He had been scared.

"Mom said you died."

Elenore wrapped her arms around Magnolia's waist as she stared at the family moment in from of her.

"Well, she had every right to believe that. Don't you ever doubt it."

"When things started to get really bad, they told me at the hospital that they were gonna medevac you and the other patients to Atlanta, and it never happened." Lori explained and Magnolia could hear her throat close as became choked up.

"Well, I'm not surprised after Atlanta fell." Rick said and Lori muttered a small 'yeah', "And from the look of that hospital, it got overrun."

"Yeah, looks don't deceive." Shane felt everyone's eyes on him, "I barely got them out, you know?"

When Magnolia finally looked away from Shane, she noticed how tight her mom's arms had become and struggled to get free.

"Mom, I can't breathe." Magnolia gasped and Elenore quickly loosened her arms. Not enough for Magnolia to get out of them, but loose enough for her to be able to shift around and breathe.

A loud thud broke the silence that had peacefully rested over the group and Magnolia turned her head towards the source of the noise. _Oh, it was Ed,_ Magnolia reassured herself, trying to calm her racing heart.

"Hey, Ed, you want to rethink that log?" Shane asked and Elenore's arms once again tighted around Magnolia's waist. She knew what kind of man Ed was and she didn't want her daughter to interact with him at all. She was fine with Carol, and she sometimes helped that poor woman, but she had no interest in letting her daughter near that excuse of a man.

"It's cold, man." Ed said as he lazily stared at the stars.

"The cold don't change the rules, does it?" There was a warning tone in Shane's voice and Ed would have to be stupid not to listen to it, "Keep our fires low, just embers so we can't be seen from a distance, right?"

"I said it's cold. You should mind your own business for once."

Magnolia and Elenore's eyes both widened at Ed's retort. The two men were both playing with fire. One with a temper and the other with power and control. And as Elenore once told Magnolia, it's never a good idea to fight fire with fire. Elenore's eyes followed Shane as he got up and walked over to Ed. He was whispering, that was never a good thing.

Whatever he said, Ed ended up telling Carol to pull the log out of the fire and Elenore crinkled her nose in disgust. He was not a man. Magnolia, however, was too focused on Sophia. Her friend's head was down and she refused to meet Shane's eyes. Magnolia was young, but she knew enough to know that Ed was not a good man.

Deciding that it was way past Magnolia's bed time, Elenore gently squeezed her daughter's shoulders, "Come on, it's time for bed."

"But Carl's still up." Magnolia complained, not seeing how quickly Carl looked over at her as his name passed her lips.

"Yes, but Carl's daddy came home and he wants to spend time with him." Elenore winced as Magnolia's eyes hardened, immediately knowing that she had picked the wrong choice of words. To be honest, she was not looking forward to an anger Magnolia before bed. "Come on."

Making no sounds of protest, Magnolia sullenly followed her mother up the stairs, only talking when Elenore told her to bid everybody a goodnight… even Carl.

~8~

The next morning Magnolia woke up in a slighter better mood. She was still a bit jealous that Carl's dad came back but then remembered that Daryl was supposed to be coming back today.

Pushing off her covers, Magnolia quickly dressed herself in a t-shirt and jeans, brushed her teeth, and ran out of the RV. Her mom wasn't there when she woke up so she assumed that she was helping Carol with the clothes or something.

The sun was bright and it wasn't that hot out, which was nice. Spotting Carl and Sophia at the camp fire, Magnolia braced herself. She couldn't stay mad at Carl forever. He was her friend and she was his. Plus, he didn't do anything wrong.

"Hi, guys." Magnolia greeted, before shoving a spoonful of beans in her mouth from the bowl that Elenore had handed her on her way over.

"Hi, Maggie."

"Hi, Lia." Carl and Sophia both greeted back as they looked up from their food.

The kids ate in silence for a few minutes before Magnolia decided to speak up.

"What are we going to do today?" She asked, placing her empty bowl down.

"Let's play freeze tag." Sophia suggested and Magnolia shook her head. They played freeze tag yesterday.

"Well, we could go into the woods and see if we can find any food." Carl suggested and Magnolia thought for a moment before nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, maybe I can find some more flowers."

The three of them raced over to Lori and while Carl explained their plan, Magnolia looked over at her mom, who caught her eye, and nodded her head towards the woods. Elenore somehow understood what her daughter was asking and gave her a slight nod, she wanted Magnolia to enjoy her childhood while she could.

Racing into the woods, Magnolia stopped and pointed to small, purple flower.

"This is viola sororia." She explained and watched as Sophia bent down to pick it, "It can be used for food and medicine. The flower, leaves, and roots can be eaten."

After looking around for more flowers, Magnolia was back to racing through the woods with Carl and Sophia. Carl had made it race to see who could reach the creek down the hill. Magnolia was so sure that she was winning when a loud growl caught her attention. Slowing to a stop, Magnolia slowly and quietly approached the sound. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at the thing in front of her. She couldn't move.

She couldn't speak.

She felt like she couldn't breathe.

Magnolia heard Carl and Sophia's footsteps approach her but she couldn't seem to turn around and warn them. Tell them to stop and turn around. She just stared.

"Lia?" She heard Carl ask, obviously out of breath, "What are you doing?"

Good, they were still far enough back. They couldn't see it yet. She hoped that they would turn around and run.

Of course, they didn't.

"Lia? What's going on?" Carl was coming closer and she soon heard his sharp intake of breath, "MOM!" he screamed.

She could hear their footsteps getting fainter along with their screams for their parents but she couldn't seem to move, until something warm grabbed her hand. Magnolia snapped her head to her side and relaxed when she saw Carl's panicked face.

"Come on, Lia! Run!" She numbly nodded and allowed Carl to pull her back towards the camp.

"MOM! DAD!" He called as and she somehow was able to find her voice.

"MOMMY!"

She was scared and she wanted her mom.

"MOMMY!" She screamed again and soon she saw her.

Ripping her hand out of Carl's grasp, she launched herself at Elenore, who lightly stumbled in surprise.

Elenore pulled Magnolia back and examined her little girl.

"Were you bit? Scratched?" She asked as she brushed a strand of hair that had fallen out of Magnolia's braid behind her ear. Magnolia shook her head and Elenore breathed a sigh of relief, "Oh, thank God."

~8~

Elenore led her daughter back up to the campsite and sat her down by the fire.

"Okay, Sweetie, next time this happens… you need to run."

Carl had explained to the parents what had happened and how he had to lead Magnolia back to the campsite. She had been too scared to move, talk, or scream apparently. As Carl told them the story, Elenore couldn't help but notice how proud he looked when he told them that he had to grab Magnolia's to save her. Magnolia didn't notice this, but it was something that Elenore was going to keep in the back of her mind. This young boy saved her daughter's life.

"Merle." A gruff voice sounded and Elenore noticed how Magnolia suddenly became alert.

Even though they had been at this campsite for only a few weeks, somehow Magnolia had wormed her way into Daryl's heart. Not a lot, of course. Daryl was a bit of a cold guy and maybe it the constant questions she asked him or how she always asked if she could join him on a hunt, but Daryl was okay with her Maggie and that made him okay in Elenore's mind.

"Daryl! You're back!" Magnolia cried with a smile as she got up and raced towards the tall man who was carrying a bunch or squirrels around a rope, already forgetting the incident that had just occurred.

"Hey, youngin', have you seen Merle?"

Magnolia shook her head and Daryl continued his quest to find his brother.

"Hey, Daryl, I need to talk to you about something." Shane said and Elenore quickly ushered Magnolia back into her RV where Carl, Sophia, Eliza, and Louis were. Words were about to thrown and Elenore did not want Magnolia to hear them.

Inside the RV, Magnolia watched as Daryl tackled Rick and Shane grabbed him into a choke hold.

"Boy, your dad must've done somethin' pretty bad." Magnolia said, staring out of the RV.

~8~

The adults were arguing again.

Magnolia looked up from her spot besides Sophia and watched the adults. _My mom never argues with them_ , Magnolia thought as she pulled at a clump of grass, _she always watches from the background and speaks when needed._

Rick wanted to go back to find Merle, why shouldn't he?

Lori didn't want Rick to go, though, and neither did Carl. But Elenore had always taught Magnolia that if she had a chance to fix her mistake, she should take it. So, Rick should go and find Merle. He made a mistake and now he has a chance to fix it.

She watched quietly ask the van drove away and as Carl went into his tent. Sure, Magnolia didn't like Merle that much, but he was Daryl's family, and Magnolia knew what it was like to lose a family member. Deep down, she hoped that they would find her dad.


	3. Vatos

Elenore was taught that when something drastic happens, it changes people in different ways. There are the people who continue to carry on with their lives, finding a way to live and survive in this new world. They are the survivors. Then there are the people who decided to opt. out; decide that they can't live in a world like this. They are the prey. Elenore was a survivor. She got her daughter out of the danger zone and found them a safe place to stay. But Elenore also knew that there were people who pretended to be survivors, but deep inside wanted to die; to perish from the Earth and reunite with their family members, if they believed in Heaven.

Elenore was a survivor, Magnolia was a survivor, Lori was a survivor, Carl was a survivor, everyone in the camp was survivor. Everyone except Jim. Jim was someone who wanted to pretend to be a survivor but moped over the fact that his family was dead. Not that that was a bad thing. Grieving could either make or break someone and, by the looks of it, it broke Jim. She watched as he continued to dig holes in the field a few feet away from them.

"Mom!" Elenore turned her head to see Magnolia looking up at her and pointing towards Andrea and Amy, "Look at all fish Andrea and Amy caught!"

Elenore gave her daughter a gentle smile, "Well, wasn't that nice of them. Did you say thank you?"

A troubled look some crossed Magnolia's face before she turned and raced back towards the two blonde women, realizing her mistake.

Elenore gave a smile before looking up at Jim's working figure and frowned. She would have to watch him. She wasn't going to allow anyone to take her daughter from her. Walking back to the camp, Elenore looked over and smiled as she saw Carl and Magnolia admire the bucket-load of silver fish Amy and Andrea caught.

"Yeah, whoa. Where did you two learn to do that?" Lori asked, also admiring the amount of fish that was in front of her. It had been a while since the group had had some fresh meat. And you couldn't get any fresher then fish from a pond.

"Our dad." Amy smiled before taking a sip of her water.

"Can you teach me how to do that?" Carl asked and Elenore almost laughed at how quickly her daughter jumped in to say,

"Yeah, me too!"

"Sure. I'll teach you all about nail knots and stuff." Amy said before looking at Elenore and Lori for reassurance, "If that's okay."

"You won't catch me arguing." Lori stated, looking up from the shirt she was fixing.

"I don't see why not." Elenore shrugged and smiled at the beaming smile that overtook her daughter's face. Before the outbreak, Magnolia's dad had promised to take her out fishing and never had the chance. Now that she thought about it, she highly doubted that Michael would have ever taken her out. At least now Magnolia had someone she could depend on… actually, they had a group they could depend on.

"Hey, Dale. When's the last time you oiled those line reels?" Andrea asked and Magnolia turned to see Dale approaching them. A worried look on his face. "They are a disgrace."

"I, uh—I don't want to alarm anyone," Magnolia watched from the corner of her eye as Shane got up and headed towards them. "But we may have a bit of a problem."

"It's Jim, isn't it?" Magnolia was surprised to hear her mother's voice. Normally she kept quiet and observed the group instead of engaging in their _disagreements_ , "To be honest, I was getting a little concerned too." Elenore nodded her head in the direction of Jim and everyone looked at him. He was digging and the no one knew why.

Magnolia stayed close to her mother as the group walked up the hill to find Jim. Almost as if sensing her fear, Carl reached and grabbed her hand, startling Magnolia but she relaxed and gave him a smile. Carl smiled back, hoping that Magnolia didn't see the him blush but was lucky because the hot day masked it.

Everyone stopped when Shane stopped.

Magnolia knew that Shane was their unspoken leader and nobody remembered when this was decided but it somehow was and to be honest, nobody else wanted that position. Shane was quiet for a few minutes before finally speaking.

"Hey, Jim." Jim only ignored Shane's call and continued to dig. Sweat stains covered Jim's shirt and Magnolia wondered how he didn't pass out yet. She had only been outside for an hour and she could feel the beads of sweat roll down her face. Her mom, however, looked perfect. Not a single bead of sweat rolled down her face and he face remained pale, no flush taking over it.

"Jim, why don't you hold up, all right?" Shane tried again, he was trying to remain calm, "Just give me a second here, please?"

"What do you want?" Jim asked as he stopped his shoveling and leaned against it. Magnolia noticed that he spoke quickly. She knew that type of voice. She used it all the time when she got in trouble and tried to hide it from her parents.

"We're all just a little concerned, that's all." Shane said softly, trying not to push Jim the wrong way. He wanted this to go smoothly.

"Dale says you've been out here for hours."

Elenore winced as Morales played tattle-tale. Even if he didn't mean it, the words he spoke were accusing and, knowing from being a parent, would probably cause Jim to become defensive. Especially when he realized that the whole group was concerned and worried, but not for him, for themselves.

"So?" Elenore closed her eyes. She had been right. He had taken the defensive side.

"So why are you digging?" Shane asked and Jim nervously rubbed his mouth, "Are you heading to China, Jim?" Shane tried to joke but Elenore and Magnolia could hear the firm undertone.

"What does it matter? I'm not hurting anyone." Jim stated as he gave an awkward smile and started to shovel.

"Yeah, except maybe yourself." Dale said, looking at Jim with concern, "It's a hundred degrees today. You can't keep this up."

"Sure I can. Watch me." Elenore's eyes widened and she pulled Magnolia closer to her side, accidentally pulling Magnolia's hand out of Carl's. Jim's tone was different. He sounded out of it and Elenore immediately knew that something was wrong.

"Jim, they're not gonna say it so I will," Lori stepped in, bringing herself to the front of the group so she stood next to Dale, "You're scaring people." Jim sighed and stopped shoveling, giving Lori an annoyed look, "You're scaring my son, Carol's daughter, and Elenore's daughter."

Magnolia wanted to object but kept silent. She wasn't scared, she was concerned. Being scared was completely different than being concerned.

"They got nothing to be scared of." Jim was looking at the small cluster of women and children. He didn't understand why they were making such a big deal out of this. He was just digging some holes. He wasn't hurting anyone, "I mean, what the hell, people. I'm out here by myself. Why don't you all just go and leave me the hell alone?"

"Jim, we're not trying to target you. We just want to make sure that you're okay." Again, Magnolia was surprised that her mother was speaking, "Why don't you come take a break?" Elenore was speaking in her gentlest voice. The voice she used when she was trying to get Magnolia to stop crying.

"Yeah," Shane nodded his head in agreement, liking where Elenore was trying to go, "Why don't you come sit down in the shade and take a break. And I'll tell you what—maybe in a little bit I'll come out here. I'll help you myself." Jim was ignoring Shane and Magnolia noticed that he was starting to dig faster, "Jim, just tell me what it's about. Why don't you just go ahead and give me that shovel?"

"Or what?" Jim asked. He was testing Shane. He was testing Shane's power.

"There is no 'or what'. I'm asking you. I'm coming to you and I'm asking you, please." Shane tried to explain, "I don't want to have to take it from you."

"And if I don't, then what?"

 _Never fight fire with fire_ , Magnolia suddenly remembered. Shane was the lightening embers and Jim was the quiet, raging fire.

"Then you're gonna beat my face in like Ed Peletier, aren't you?"

Magnolia felt her mother and Carol stiffen from behind her and could just blatantly see the groups attitude shift. _Shane had beaten Ed?_ Magnolia thought and she tilted her head, _when?"._ Feeling her mother give her shoulders a gently squeeze, she suddenly remembered what her mother had told her: _Ed's not a nice man and if Magnolia had the chance, she should befriend Sophia because she was sure as heck that that girl didn't have an easy home life_. Magnolia just thought that that meant Ed never spent time with his daughter and drank beer instead.

Elenore was aware that her daughter was confused. Magnolia was only twelve years old and lived a sheltered life. She didn't know the cruel things that Ed had done to wife and daughter, how he would beat them or how he controlled every aspect of their lives. And, as much as Elenore wanted to shield Magnolia from the cruelties of the world, she knew that times were different now; people were different. Magnolia's sheltered life had to come to end and Elenore had to prepare her for the future, whatever may come.

"Y'all seen his face, huh? What's left of it. See, now that's what happens when someone crosses you."

The embers were becoming a small flame.

"That was different, Jim."

"You weren't there." Amy said, defending Shane, "Ed was out of control. He was hurting his wife."

Elenore ignored Magnolia's confused gaze and made a mental note to talk to her about it tonight.

"That is their marriage. That is not his." The raging fire was growing and Carol pulled Sophia into a tight hug, "He is not Judge and Jury. Who voted you king boss, huh?"

 _Jim had a point_ , Magnolia thought as she stared at the angered man in front of her, _Shane was never voted the leader. He somehow became the leader._

"Jim, I'm not here to argue with you, all right?" Shane spoke softly, trying to quell the small flame that had lit inside him, "Just give me the shovel, okay?"

"No, no, no." Jim protested shoving Shane away.

Everything that followed was a blur to Magnolia because as suddenly as Jim swung his shovel at Shane, he was on the ground, but Elenore saw everything like it was in slow motion. Shane quelled his embers while Jim let his fire rage to big. He couldn't control it anymore and as soon as he pushed Shane, Elenore had pulled Magnolia securely to her, shielding Magnolia's head with her arm. Shane quickly handcuffed Jim's hands, assuring him that everything was going to be okay. He started to speak but Magnolia couldn't hear him and based on the adults' reactions, she wasn't sure if she wanted too. All Magnolia knew was that whatever Jim had said led her mom to squeeze her tighter and had brought a look of panic on Lori's face.

~8~

Magnolia sat next to Carl as she completed her section of her workbook. Somehow, Glenn had found time to grab some math books for Carl, Sophia, and Magnolia to do. As much as Magnolia hated doing math, it was sort of nice to sit with Carl and Sophia with their moms next to them. She could almost imagine that it was a normal day and she was over at Carl's house… if she had known Carl before this.

"So, you're going to drag the three and then multiply," Her mom explained as she tried to help Magnolia with the particularly hard problem in front of her. It's not like Magnolia wasn't bad at math, she was pretty okay once she had an understanding of what she was doing but it was hard for her to focus with Jim sitting directly across from her tied to a tree.

Elenore seemed to sense he daughter's drifting gaze and tapped the paper in front of her, "You have to focus, Maggie. You want to be a neuroscientist, right?" Magnolia nodded her head, "Then you have to know your math."

As soon as she had managed to get Magnolia's attention, Jim spoke up, "Sorry if I scared your boy and your little girls."

Lori seemed to hesitate before answering, and when she did, her voice was hoarse, "You had sunstroke. Nobody's blaming you."

"You're not scared now, are ya?" Jim asked and Carl looked away, avoiding his eyes. Sophia said that she wasn't but he was able to tell that she still was based on the way her eyes refused to meet his. Magnolia surprised him, though. He saw the way she clung to her mother and expected for her to be like Carl and not meet his gaze, but instead she looked him in the eyes and shook her head before giving him a small smile.

The kids went back to their school work and Jim felt his eyes slightly water at the thought of his own kids that could've been sitting right next to them with his wife. Safe, away from walkers, and with people their own age that they could call friend.

"Your mama's right. Sun just cooked my head is all," Jim continued, desperate to talk to the children in front of him, but they just gave him a glance before looking back at their work. At least Magnolia offered him a small smile, but at her mother's sharp look she had quickly dropped her head down and went back to work.

"Your dad was in it." Magnolia looked at Jim, thinking that he was talking to her but realized that her dad wasn't with her and Carl's dad was the one out on the run, "You were worried about him. Can't remember the rest."

Magnolia went back to ignoring Jim as soon as he brought up Carl's dad. That was Carl's business. Not her's and certainly not Jim's. Magnolia tried to finish solving the problem that her mom showed her but couldn't seem to do it and nearly cried in relief when Shane asked them if they wanted to go clean fish.

"Sweet, come on, Lia." Carl exclaimed as he jumped out of his chair and ran to Shane. Magnolia grabbed Sophia's hand and gently pulled her from her set, dragging her towards Carl and Shane.

"Come on, Sophia! This is gonna be so cool."

"Stay with Carol, alright?" Lori asked and the kids gave her a nod before Shane led them towards the creek.

Elenore smiled lightly and began to close Magnolia's textbooks when Lori's voice caught her attention.

"I can't help but notice Magnolia's dislike in the word dad."

"Yeah," Elenore confirmed and looked at Lori, "Her dad decided to leave when the apocalypse happened. He didn't want us holding him back."

"He sounds like an ass." Lori said and watched as Elenore gave her a small smile.

"He is or was, but Maggie can't help but hope that he comes back and apologizes." Elenore blew a piece of her bangs out of her eyes, "But we both know he isn't."

Giving Lori one last smile, Elenore grabbed the textbooks and headed back to her RV. She _needed_ to make sure that Magnolia was all right.

~8~

Magnolia smiled at Carl as she took a bite out of her fried fish. The group was having a big campfire and was eating some fried fish, which Magnolia loved. Morales had asked Dale about the watch he always carried with him and as Dale told the story, Magnolia smiled at her mom, who was sitting cross from her. Her mom looked happy and relaxed with her long hair down and the firelight causing it to shimmer a light brown color. Elenore's dark green eyes sparkled, a gleam, Magnolia noted, in them that had not been there since her dad had left.

A loud scream broke the peaceful silence and before she knew it, everyone around her was screaming and her head was spinning.

"Mom!" Magnolia cried and in an instant her mom's arms were wrapped around her shoulder. Elenore could feel Magnolia shaking and tightened her grasp. She was trying to be Magnolia's rock but it was hard when she didn't have a rock of her own.

"Lori, get him down!" Elenore heard Shane yell and she yanked her daughter down too. The shotgun echoed as Shane tried to shoot all the walkers that were heading towards them. People were screaming and Elenore didn't know what to do. Carol was pulling Sophia out of harm's way but the walkers were coming from every direction.

"Mom, I'm scared." Magnolia whimpered and Elenore shifted the two into a sitting position.

"I know, baby, but it's going to be okay." Elenore cooed, silently cursing herself. She had left her gun inside of their RV and at that moment, Elenore knew that that would be the last time she ever made that mistake.

Screams were coming from every direction and Magnolia saw blood spew, yes, spew, out of people's bodies after they had been bit. Magnolia almost threw up at the sight but she knew that she needed to be brave for her mom.

Elenore jumped when she felt a hand touch her arm and readily tried to protect Magnolia but relaxed once she saw it was Lori. Getting up, she kept Magnolia in front of her as Shane tried to lead them to a safer area.

"Come on. Come on, stay close." His voice was hard and harsh, but Elenore paid no heed to it, she just wanted her baby safe.

"Carol!" Lori cried and Elenore grabbed Carol's arm, pulling her into their little group.

"Come on, y'all!" Shane yelled and Elenore turned her head to see Morales hitting the walkers with a baseball bat, "Work your way up here!"

The group tried to stay as quiet and as hushed as they could, trying to protect their children. Elenore had never felt more like a mama bear in her life.

"Right in front of you. Shane!" Lori exclaimed and Shane shot at the walker, missing the head but hitting the arm.

Elenore gripped Magnolia tighter as more and more of the things surrounded them. She was ready to die for her daughter, but would her daughter make it out alive without her? Elenore had too many questions racing through her head. A loud crack came from her side and Elenore looked to see Morales in front of them, hitting the walkers with a bat.

"Stay behind me." Shane commanded and Elenore resisted an eyeroll, it's not like she was planning on going anywhere else, "Morales, work up here!"

They had nowhere to go and no one to help them. Shane was trying to protect them as he stood in front of them as they cowered next to one of the RV's. She was ready to say a little prayer when gun shots rang through the camp. Elenore nearly cried. Rick's group had come back.

"Dad!" Magnolia heard Carl cry and she was ready to cry too. She didn't want to die. The group of men quickly formed a semicircle around the women and children, looking left and right, ready to shoot. But there was no need to. The damage had already been done.

Andrea's sobs quickly filled the silences and Magnolia found herself staring at a blood covered Amy. A chunk was missing out of Amy's arm and neck and blood steadily seeped through the giant holes. Her lower lip wobbled and she turned, burying her face into her mom's shirt. Elenore could only hold Magnolia close and stroke her hair, trying to soothe the girl's tears.

Yes, Elenore wanted to prepare Magnolia for the world but this was certainly not how she wanted to do it.

* * *

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 **Ana**


	4. Wildfire

Magnolia had only understood true grief once in her life.

She had come home after school one day and found her hamster dead in the cage. She had only been six at the time and, being the innocent, naïve thing she was, thought that her Gobbles was just sleeping. Magnolia didn't seem to realize that Gobbles had truly passed until she noticed that he wasn't eating the food she left him and that he hadn't changed positions; he hadn't moved at all. She had raced to her mother, holding Gobbles cold body in her hands, and it was then she realized that he was gone. Elenore didn't need to explain to Magnolia what had happened, and after many tears, stood next to Magnolia. Magnolia insisted that she dug a grave because Gobbles was much as a family member as her aunt was.

But looking out from the RV window at the adults, Magnolia didn't really know if she had truly experienced true grief. Andrea hadn't left Amy's body all night, staying in the a hunched-over position. Pulling the blankets tighter over her shaking body, Magnolia looked over at her friends sleeping next to her. The night after the attack, the children had decided that they wanted to sleep in the same bed, for whatever reason, the mothers didn't know.

But the three of them did.

As scared as they all were, they were more worried about each other than they were for themselves. During the events of last night, Magnolia was constantly watching out for Sophia and Carl, making sure that nothing bit or scratched them. The same went for Carl, who tried to make sure that Magnolia and Sophia were okay (but it was hard with his mother always blocking his view), and Sophia (being in the back of the line) was able to keep a perfect eye out on Carl and Magnolia. And when the nightmare finally ended, the three of them needed to know that each other was okay. Even though they had known each other for only a few weeks, but it could've been a month know that Magnolia thought about it, they were friends. They hung out with each other every day, they ate meals with each other, they told funny stories, they played games, they were the three musketeers (as Magnolia once called them).

The grownups were standing in a circle, keeping as quite as possible, and Magnolia decided that she was indeed still tired. Not physically, but mentally. Magnolia had seen the world today, one that was different from the one she grew up in, and, as much as she hated it, Magnolia knew that she needed to be brave. Sighing, she looked down.

She wasn't brave. There was no use in trying to deny it.

She was a scared little girl who wasn't ready for the world.

It was around noon when the RV door opened, and Magnolia's head snapped towards it. She had tightened her hold on the book she was reading, ready to defend her sleeping friends, but her grip loosened once she saw that it was only her mom. Elenore didn't speak to Magnolia; she only nodded her head towards the door and held out her hand. Magnolia was hesitant on leaving her friends but when she stood up and saw that their moms were behind her's, she readily grabbed Elenore's hand and walked out of the RV with her.

 _It's hot today,_ Magnolia observed as she walked with the group up the hill where Jim had dug the holes, _the sun's shining too brightly for a day of mourning._ Birds were chirping, the sun was blaring down on their skin, no clouds littered the sky, it truly was a beautiful day. She stuck close to Carl and her mother, who were both tightly holding her hand. The men of the group just wanted to bury the bodies and get it over with while Lori argued that they needed time to mourn, which was true. Without mourning, you'll become numb, and when you become numb, you aren't a human anymore.

The bodies were all buried quickly but the paced slowed when it was Amy's turn. Andrea had insisted that she buried Amy herself and Magnolia watched as Andrea painstakingly dragged Amy's bag-covered body towards the shallow grave that had been built. Her mother had asked if she wanted any help but Andrea had denied it, she said that this was something she needed to do on her own. Dale stuck close to her, though.

"I can do it. I can do it." Andrea said as Dale tried to help her get Amy's body into the grave. Her voice was so full of pain that Magnolia felt her eyes start to burn and it finally hit her. Amy had _died_ and she wasn't coming back. The woman who had promised to take her fishing, the woman who actually found time to sit with Magnolia and learn all about the flowers was gone.

Turning, Magnolia buried her head into her mother's side and tried to stifle the tears that leaked from her eyes. She needed to be strong for her mother, for Carl, for _Andrea_.

Amy's body was the last body to be buried.

The group solemnly walked back to the camp and Magnolia found relief when she realized that she wasn't the only person who was crying. To her right, she could hear Carl's sniffles and she saw Lori wipe her eyes a few times. Her mother, though, somehow managed to stay strong. Magnolia saw right through it this time. Elenore looked weaker and Magnolia could actually see how tired her mother was. Dark bags hung underneath her eyes, her face was paler than normal, and Magnolia saw wrinkles on her skin that hadn't been there before. It wasn't like her mother was old; Elenore she had turned thirty-three only a few months ago. Plus, she had Magnolia when she was young, twenty-one if she was being exact.

"Lia!" Magnolia turned her head at the sound of her name and saw Carl walking quickly towards her.

"Yeah?" She called back, Elenore standing next to her, but seeing that it was only Carl, continued to walk back to the camp.

"Do you wanna go pick some flowers?" Magnolia tilted her head in confusion. She was always up for picking flowers but now didn't seem to be an appropriate time. Almost if sensing her confusion Carl added, "I wanna put some on the graves."

"Oh, okay," Magnolia turned to look when an odd smile took over her face. _How ironic,_ she mentally laughed as she stared at the flower a few feet away from her. "How bout those?" She asked, pointing to them.

"Sure, what are they?" Carl asked as he stared at the bright yellow flowers. They looked to bright and happy to be part of something so devastating and sad.

"Marigolds. They mean grief."

~8~

Magnolia and Elenore sat close to one another as they waited for Shane, Rick, and Dale to come back from their little 'expedition'. The silence was making Magnolia uncomfortable and she stared at the stick Lori was sharpening with an odd intensity. Andrea was sleeping in the chair next to Lori; she finally seemed at peace and her face was relaxed. Magnolia looked up to see Shane walking towards them. He seemed exhausted, well, everybody seemed exhausted.

"I've been-uh-" Shane said as he placed down the gun he was carrying, "I've been thinking about Rick's plan." Everyone's eyes were on him in a heartbeat, "Now there are-uh- there are no guarantees either way. I'll be the first to admit that. I've known this man a long time. I trust his instincts. I say the most important thing here is we need to stay together." Magnolia's eyes fluttered around the group, almost as if she was memorizing each person's face, "So those of you that agree, we leave first thing in the morning." The deafening silence remained, "Okay?"

The next morning came quicker then Magnolia would've liked. The sun wasn't all the way up yet and Magnolia rested her back against Elenore's stomach as Shane gave the directions. She was scared. They were leaving their 'safe' zone for a promise that they didn't even know was true. Magnolia gripped her jeans as she listened to Shane's voice.

"Those of you with C.B.'s, we are going to be on channel forty. Let's keep the chatter down, okay?" Magnolia found it odd that the silence still remained as strong as it was last night, "Now you've got a problem, don't have a C.B., can't get a signal or anything at all, you're gonna hit your horn one time. That'll stop the caravan. Any questions?"

Morales didn't hesitate to respond, "We're, uh, we're not going."

Magnolia couldn't stop her eyes from widening in surprise. Where were they gonna go? They were gonna die if they didn't stay in the group. Two adults vs. thousands of zombies wouldn't end well. Looking around, Magnolia couldn't help but notice that everyone else was looking at them in shock or in horror.

"We have family in Birmingham," Magnolia swore that this was the first time she had ever heard Morales's wife speak. She didn't even know what her name was, "We wanna be with our people."

"You go on your own, you won't have anyone to watch your back." Shane said, speaking the thoughts that Magnolia was too scared to say.

"We'll take the chance." Morales said and Magnolia didn't know why he wanted to see his family in Birmingham. They were probably all dead. Magnolia inwardly winced, her mother would've smacked her if she knew Magnolia had thought that, "I've got to do what's best for my family."

"You sure?" Rick asked, concern filling his blue eyes. _The same blue eyes that Carl has,_ Magnolia noted, actually looking between the two family members. The only difference was that Rick's eyes were a lighter, icier blue while Carl's were a darker, brighter blue. Personally, she preferred Carl's eyes.

"We've talked about it. We're sure."

While the parents said their goodbyes, Magnolia hung in the background. She didn't know Morales's family as well as the others did. Sophia had always played with the older girl whenever Magnolia was busy and Carl knew Morales's daughter from when he played with Sophia. Watching silently, Magnolia observed that the girl had given Sophia her doll. Something that Magnolia knew Sophia would treasure forever. Elenore walked back over to Magnolia after saying goodbye and tightly squeezed her daughter's shoulders. As the family walked towards their RV, Magnolia noticed how the wife kept looking back. It was almost as if she didn't want to leave.

"Come on. Let's go. Let's move out." Shane commanded and Magnolia quickly jumped into the RV that held Glenn. She would've gone with Carl and Sophia but there wasn't enough space in the car they were in.

Magnolia sadly watched Morale's car drive off in the distance, going the opposite way of them. Her mom shuffled a deck of cards beside her and handed her seven of them.

"How about a round of Go-Fish?"

Magnolia gave Elenore a small smile before looking at her cards.

~8~

They had only been driving for a few hours when Magnolia felt the RV lurch before slowing down.

"What's going on?" She asked, looking up from the book she was reading. Her mother didn't see, too worried, though, so Magnolia thought that everything was okay. When Elenore was worried, Magnolia was worried.

"The stupid…hose…" Was all Magnolia managed to hear before he got off the RV. Elenore quickly ushered Magnolia out as she heard Jim give another groan. This whole ride she had been trying to keep her panic under control so that Magnolia did sense it, but Jim was starting to worry her.

"Why don't you go say hi to Carl and Sophia?" Elenore said as she ushered Magnolia towards the two kids in Lori's car, "Go on, I'll be right here."

Magnolia heeded her mother's words and happily walked over to her friends. She couldn't wait to show them what she had learned to do. Knocking on the window, she pulled the car door open and stuck her hand in.

"Look what I made," She said, showing them the small, origami crane that rested in her palm, "His name is George." She had named the small crane after her favorite Beatle. Of course her mom protested and said that she should've named him Paul.

"Wow, that's so cool!" Carl exclaimed as he stared at the crane in front of him. It wasn't perfect and he was pretty sure it was a bit lopsided, but it was still impressive; he couldn't do that.

"Where'd you learn to do that?" Sophia asked in a meek, timid voice. She was squeezing the doll, Magnolia noted, like it was her life line.

"My mom showed me. It took me a few tries, but I got it."

"Can you teach me?" Carl asked and Magnolia gave him a big smile before she nodded.

"Of course."

"Magnolia!" Elenore called and Magnolia looked over towards her, "We're leaving. Come on."

Magnolia gave Carl and Sophia one last smile before racing to the RV. Once she was inside, she noted that Jim wasn't in the RV anymore.

"Mom, where's Jim?" Magnolia asked. Her mother hesitated, her eyes flickering out the window before looking back at Magnolia. Elenore tried to stop her, but it was too late, Magnolia had followed her gaze out the window and saw Jim tied to a tree.

"Why's he tied to a tree?"

Elenore took a deep breath, "Because Jim's sick and he won't be getting better anytime soon. Jim sacrificed himself so that we could go on."

"Oh." Magnolia nodded before turning back to her page in the book she was reading.

 _What a nice guy,_ Magnolia thought as the RV started moving.

~8~

Magnolia's nose crinkled as she stared at the scene in front of her. Bodies littered the ground, flies were buzzing everywhere, and there was a horrible stench. Rick, Shane, Glenn, and Daryl immediately took out their weapons. Magnolia felt her mom grab her hand and the two stuck close to the group, staying in the center.

Everyone was hacking and coughing. The smell was _horrible._ It smelled like somebody had kept raw fish out for a week, covered it in cat vomit, and them blended it together with moldy tuna. Magnolia lifted covered her mouth and nose with her jacket sleeve and took in the sights around her. The bodies that laid around her had already started to decompose and she could see the bones.

The closer they got to the C.D.C the more panicked the adults seemd to get. Whispers of 'be careful' or 'let's move' were frequent and her mother's grip had tightened on her hand. _Something's wrong_ , Magnolia thought as she saw the doors, _Something's very wrong._ The bodies were scattered around her in an odd pattern. It was almost like they had been placed there. Tanks seemed to be frozen in time.

"Mom," Magnolia started, carrying out the 'm', "Something's wrong."

"What are you talking about?" Elenore asked her daughter, everything was _fine_. Everything was going to be fine, "Everything is fine, Maggie."

Magnolia disagreed but didn't voice her opinion. She needed to be strong for her mom.

Rick pounded on the door and they waited.

"There's nobody here." T-Dog stated and Magnolia felt her heart begin to race. There had to be someone here.

"Then why are these shutters down?" Rick asked and Magnolia could tell he was panicking. After all, this was his idea and if they all died it would be his fault.

"Walkers!" Daryl shouted everyone immediately panicked. Elenore forcefully shoved Magnolia behind her and before she caught herself, Magnolia found herself grabbing Carl's hand.

They were going to die.

Magnolia felt her lower lip begin to wobble and her eyes burned with unshed tears. A walker in an army uniform was heading towards them but before it got any closer, Daryl shot it.

"You lead is into a graveyard," Daryl shouted, pushing past Elenore, but not before glancing at Magnolia. Her eyes held fear. This was supposed to be somewhere safe for them to stay and it ended up being a mistake. Daryl scoffed, first this new guy left his brother to die and now he led them to a graveyard. In Daryl's mind, Rick screwed them over.

"He made a call." Shane tried to explain, but Daryl wasn't having any of it.

"It was the wrong damn call!"

"Just shut up!" Magnolia was taken back on how quickly Shane got angry. He was normally good at controlling his temper, "You hear me? Shut up. Shut up!" He turned to Rick, "Rick, this is a dead end?"

Carol wailed as she clutched her daughter to her chest, "Where are we gonna go?"

"Do you hear me?" Shane ignored Carol and Magnolia felt her heartrate increase. They were gonna _die_.

"No blame." Rick replied as he looked around, trying to find a way in even though there wasn't any.

Magnolia looked around her quickly before escaping out of her mother's grip and running towards Daryl, wrapping her arms around his waist and holding on tight.

"Magnolia!" Elenore gasped, shocked that her daughter had left her for a man she barely knew.

Magnolia could explain why she had run over to Daryl. Maybe it was because she wanted her dad and this was the closest grown-up man that she trusted in the group. Maybe it was because he was holding a weapon and she knew that he could keep her safe. Maybe it was because she was scared and she couldn't think straight. But what Magnolia did know was that Daryl allowed her to hold onto him for three seconds before gently, yet rougher than she thought was needed, pusher her away from him and towards her mother.

Gentle hands groped her shoulder and Magnolia jumped when she came face to face with Elenore's wide eyes, "Don't you ever do that again. Do you understand me?"

Magnolia could only nod before tears began to roll down her cheeks. She was so scared.

Her mom couldn't protect her now. No one could. All Magnolia could do was hold onto her mother and hope that a miracle would happen. The adults were yelling. There was no leader in the group right now, they were falling apart.

Magnolia gave a shriek as she heard Rick start screaming and banging on the door. She wanted to go home, she wanted her bed, she wanted her blanket, she wanted her _dad._ Yes, Magnolia liked her mom more, but her dad was stronger. He knew how to survive, and that's all Magnolia wanted to do right now.

She wanted to _live._

"You're killing us!" Magnolia heard Rick scream and tried to stifle her sobs, "You're killing us!"

Elenore tightened her hold on Magnolia when suddenly a bright light filled her vision.

The doors had _opened._

* * *

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 **Ana**


	5. TS-19 Pt:1

At first, Magnolia had to shield her eyes from the light.

Since the apocalypse, she has never seen anything so bright and, in an odd way, so pure.

The adults' movements around her were jerky and unsynchronized. Magnolia could feel her mom breathing. It was deep and calm like it usually was, it was sporadic and light instead. Her mom's hands were now clutching Magnolia's shoulders to the point where it physically hurt, but Magnolia didn't say anything. Entering the C.D.C, Magnolia didn't notice how Elenore stayed close to Daryl even though he was in the back of the group. Magnolia could hear everyone's sharp intake of breath and realized how quite the room was. She tried to take move closer to Carl and Lori, but Elenore kept her grounded where she stood; not too far from Daryl, but not too close.

 _Nobody is here,_ Magnolia realized as the adults' calls went unanswered, _Maybe the system somehow glitched and that's how the doors opened_.

"Hello?"

The echo of a gun being cocked caught Magnolia's attention and before she knew it, her mother had turned her body so that it was unsuspiciously protecting Magnolia's.

"Anybody infected?" The voice asked and Magnolia realized the deep tone to be a man's voice. _So there is someone here,_ Magnolia thought as she tried to crane her neck to see the man but Elenore kept Magnolia from looking.

"One of our group was." Rick responded, as he held up his gun, ready to fire at the man who had saved his family but was now threatening to kill them, "He didn't make it."

Magnolia immediately thought back to Jim. The only person in their group that hadn't been killed when their camp had been attacked, but who they left handcuffed to a tree on the side of the road. It all made sense now. Her mother had told her that Jim was sick and decided to stay and sacrifice himself, but he wasn't sick, he was infected and could have killed them at any moment. Magnolia tried to suppress a shudder as she realized that she had been in the same RV as Jim and that she could have been killed at any moment.

"Why are you here? What do you want?" Magnolia noticed how quickly the man spoke and how it sounded as though he was slowly approaching them. _He's scared,_ Magnolia diagnosed and she tried, once again, to get a look at the man.

"Stop it, Magnolia." Elenore hissed and Magnolia immediately stopped squirming. Her mother was not in a good mood and Magnolia definitely did _not_ want to be the one to set off her temper.

"A chance."

"That's asking an awful lot these days."

"I know."

The silence that followed was nerve racking and Magnolia could feel her heart start to race. Silence was never a good thing. There was silence before the things attacked their camp. There was silence before Amy died. There was silence before her dad decided to leave. Holding her breath, Magnolia waited for the man to kick them out or shoot at them but was surprised that he broke the silence,

"You all submit to a blood test. That's the price of admission."

Magnolia let out a sigh of relief and felt her mother relax, allowing her to get a good look at the man in front of her. He was older, but strong, and his face seemed to droop with exhaustion and…something that looked like pain?

"We can do that." Rick nodded, still not lowering his weapon. Even though the man agreed to let them stay, everyone still had their guard up.

"You got stuff to bring in, you do it now." Magnolia's eyes followed the gun as he relaxed it, instead of listening to the words he spoke. Elenore watched Magnolia and let out a quite sigh. Magnolia didn't know it now, but sometimes weapons weren't what she should be afraid. She should be afraid of the people that she meets, "Once this door closes, it stays closed."

Elenore pulled Magnolia back against the wall of the elevator as the women watched the men run out to grab the bags with their stuff. As each man ran back in with everyone's bag, Magnolia watched to make sure that Daryl came back okay.

"Vi, seal the main entrance." The man said as he spoke into an intercom, "Kill the power up here." Magnolia watched in awe as metal shields slid down and covered the door. She thought it looked like something you would see in an action movie.

The elevator ride was a quite one but Magnolia felt a little peace in this silence. As soon as the elevator had started to move, Elenore had decided that her daughter was in a safe place and released her grip on Magnolia, allowing her to stand freely in between her two friends. Elenore stifled a laugh as she saw that Magnolia was taller than Carl. Not by much, but the height difference was noticeable.

"Doctors always go around packing heat like that?" Elenore turned to look at Daryl with an unamused look but she struggled to hide her smile. Daryl always managed to the strangest things at the worst times but Elenore enjoyed this comment. It was almost like he was trying to break the ice.

"There were plenty left lying around. I familiarized myself." Edwin said and he gave a small smile as he looked around at the people behind him, "But you look harmless enough. Except you." Edwin said to Carl who looked up at him, "I'll have to keep my eye on you." Carl looked over at Magnolia with a smile.

The elevator dinged and everyone got off one-by-one. Magnolia stuck close to Carl and Sophia as they followed their parents down the hallway. Magnolia looked around and her face dropped as she saw how bland and boring it was. The walls were white with lights above every door.

"Are we underground?" Carol asked and Magnolia looked at her. It would make sense that they were underground. As far as Magnolia could tell, there were no windows down here.

"Are you claustrophobic?"

"A little."

"Try not to think about it. Vi, bring up the lights in the big room." Magnolia stopped walking and watched as the lights magically turned themselves on. _Who is this Vi person_ , Magnolia thought as she looked around _._ She could've sworn that Mr. Jenner was the only person here, "Welcome to Zone 5."

"Where is everybody?" Rick asked as they all followed Edwin down the ramp. He found it odd that such a big place could only be holding one man, "The other doctors, the staff?"

"I'm it." Edwin admitted and he could practically feel everyone staring at him in pity, "It's just me here."

"But who's Vi?" Edwin down at the small girl who stood next to her mother and smiled, children were such curious beings. He could feel her mother staring at him with caution and immediately sensed that she was protective of her child.

"Vi, say hello to our guests. Tell them…." Magnolia stared at Edwin as she waited for him to answer her question and to finish his sentence, "Welcome."

"Hello, guests." A computer voice echoed around the room and Magnolia stared at the ceiling, trying to figure out where it was coming from, "Welcome."

Edwin swallowed before looking at Rick, "I'm all that's left. I'm sorry."

Edwin stared off into the distance for a moment and Elenore realized that he was silently mourning. EAs she thought about it, Elenore knew that he probably lost a loved one and as she quickly looked down at his hand, she knew that she was right. A silver band was wrapped around Edwin's ring finger.

"Blood tests." Elenore jumped as Edwin's voice suddenly echoed through the room.

To say that Elenore was shocked when Magnolia didn't put up a fight when she it was her turn to get her blood drawn was an understatement. Magnolia hated needles or anything that could pierce her skin. So, when Edwin called her name and she lazily sat down, holding her arm out. The process went quickly and before Elenore knew it, it was over.

~8~

Magnolia dug into the roasted chicken in front of her, practically drooling. After their blood had been drawn, Edwin had lead them to the kitchen area where piles of food had already been laid out. There was chicken, green beans, potatoes, salad, rolls, and so much more. Elenore helped Magnolia load her plate with chicken, green beans, and potatoes, which was similar to a meal that Elenore once made at home before the world ended.

"You know, in Italy," Dale began as he poured himself another glass of wine. Elenore didn't normally drink but she considered today to be a special occasion and took a large gulp of the red wine in her glass. "Children have a little bit of wine with dinner. And in France."

"Well, when Carl is in Italy or France, he can have some then." Lori said before taking a sip of her wine.

Magnolia, hearing what Dale said, looked up expectantly at her mother, who shook her head. There was no way in hell that Elenore was going to allow her twelve-year-old daughter to drink alcohol. If Magnolia wanted to try some, she would have to wait till she was older, preferably twenty-one.

"What's it gonna hurt? Come on." Rick asked as he looked at Lori. Tonight was a night of celebration, it wasn't like one small sip was going to kill their son, "Come on." Lori just continued to stare at Rick, "What?"

"Here you are, young lad." Dale gave Carl his cup and everyone watched expectantly, especially Magnolia since she wasn't going to get a taste tonight, as Carl took a sip.

Carl made a face before he placed the drink down, "Ew."

Magnolia laughed as she watched Carl shake his head as he tried to ride his tongue of the taste. Even though Carl didn't like it, Magnolia still wanted to give the wine a little taste. Eying her mom's glass, Magnolia's eyes nearly popped out of her head when her mom handed it to her.

"One sip," Elenore warned as Magnolia took the glass from her. The adults went silent again as they watched Magnolia take a sip of the drink, hoping that her reaction would be as funny as Carl's.

Taking the smallest sip possible, Magnolia swallowed the red, sour liquid. The adults busted out laughing as Magnolia squeezed her eyes shut and stuck out her tongue. _How do people drink this_ , Magnolia thought as the tangy taste remained in her mouth. Wine tasted revolting her in opinion. Digging back into her chicken, Magnolia's mind was lost, once again, in the delicious meal. Her mother used to make her a dish like this back home every month and she loved eating it.

"It seems as though we haven't thanked our host properly yet." Rick suddenly commented and Magnolia looked up at Jenner and gave a quite 'thank- you' as the adults cheered him on.

"So, when are you gonna tell us what happened here, Doc?" Shane's rough voice cut through the cheerfulness of the party, "All the-uh- other doctors that were supposed to be figuring out what happened, where are they?"

"We're celebrating, Shane." Magnolia slumped further down into her seat as Rick challenged Shane's authority. "Don't need to do this now."

"Woah, wait a second. This is why we're here, right?" Elenore placed wrapped her arm around Magnolia's shoulder and pulled her closer to her side. She just wanted one nice dinner where they could pretend that everything was normal… that everything had been normal and would be normal. "This was your move—supposed to find all the answers. Instead we—" Elenore's brows furrowed as Shane chucked, "We found him. Found one man. Why?"

Magnolia didn't like how the table got quiet as the adults all turned their heads to look at Dr. Jenner. Shane always seemed to have been ruining things lately and now, when it was their one night to relax and have fun, Shane had to ruin it. Elenore noticed the drop in her daughter's attitude, especially when she began to play with the food in front of her, and frowned at Shane but said nothing.

"Well, when things got bad, a lot of people just left, went off to be with their families." Elenore tilted her head, noticing how hard Edwin swallowed, "And when things got worse, when the military cordon got overrun, the rest bolted."

"Every last one?" Shane stared at his plate before looking back at Edwin.

"No, many couldn't face walking out the door." A pause followed as Edwin chose his next words carefully, glancing at the three children who were in the room with him, "They… opted out."

Magnolia turned her head when she heard her mom gasp, and looked to see that Elenore had covered her hand with her mouth, her eyes lightly shimmering in the light. Magnolia wasn't stupid. She knew what opted out meant, it was what her dad had told her and her mom to do before he left.

" _Maybe you should just opt out El," he had said as Magnolia looked between her two parents. Her mother was staring at her father with such horror and disgust Magnolia had never seen before, "It's not like you could get make it anywhere. Especially not with a twelve-year-old daughter."_

"There was a rash of suicides." Edwin refused to look at the group of people around him and instead focused on the potatoes on his plate, "That was a bad time."

"You didn't leave," Andrea's voice cut through the silence and Magnolia turned to look at her, "Why?"

"I just kept working, hoping to do some good." Magnolia looked up at her mom who responded by pulling Magnolia closer to her.

"Dude," Glenn looked at Shane in disappointment and disgust, "You are such a buzzkill, man."

The rest of dinner was silent after that.

~8~

"Most of the facility is powered down," Edwin explained as the group walked behind him. Elenore had decided to stick close to Carol and Daryl while Magnolia stood in between Carl and Sophie, holding Carl's hand. "Including housing, so you'll have to make do here. The couches are comfortable, but there are cots in the storage if you like. There's a rec room down the hall that you kids might enjoy." Edwin turned to face them and Magnolia looked at him, curiously, "Just don't plug in the video games, okay?"

Magnolia nodded happily and Edwin continued, "Or anything that draws power. The same applies—if you shower, go easy on the hot water."

Magnolia turned around to see the adults smiling happily at one another, and she couldn't help but smile too. She hadn't taken a shower since this outbreak started, and, she hadn't had hot water.

"Hot water?" Glen smiled before looking at T-Dog.

"That's what the man said." T-Dog smiled.

* * *

 ***Nervously shuffles onto stage* So... I know it's been a while, but I'm back!**

 **Alice Williams: I can't wait to see Carl and Lia together either! There will definitely be a bunch of twists and turns as their relationship grows. Plus, Lia is Carl's own special nickname for his close friend. Trust me, later on we'll definitely see how he reacts to others calling her that.**

 **JustUsingARandomName: haha, thank you!**

 **Guest: I'm glad you like the relationship between Daryl and Magnolia, and we'll see if Elenore and Daryl get together ;)**

 **x XRoweenaJAugustineX x: THANK YOU SO MUCH! I'm extremely glad that my OCs are coming off as very believable people! I am really trying my best to emphasize how this relationship could effect young child and a single mom who was left.**

 **Guest: Currently, I'm not sure if Daryl and Elenore will get together or not. It all depends on where the story takes me. But thank you for letting me know your preference!**

 **Please review! Any review is appreciated no matter how big or small it is! Also, any idea you have is appreciated!**

 **See you soon,**

 **Ana**

 **P.S. I published a Levi/ OC (Attack on Titan) story, a Jamie/OC (Outlander) story, and a Benny/ OC (Sandlot) story. Please check them out if you're interested and please review those too!**


	6. Hiatus

Hiatus...

Until: Unknown

Will be finished: Hell yeah


End file.
